The original panopticon concept was created by Jeremy Bentham to give correction officers the ability to monitor multiple cells without the inmates being able to know if they are being watched or not. Because of the possibility of being watched at any moment, the inmates behaved properly. Projects were drafted to create schools and other facilities based on this concept. Some projects were led to success while others were abandoned.

You could translate panopticon as “Seeing from all sides” or “All Seeing”. As most people know we have now entered in what we call a “Surveillance Society”, where each of our movements can be tracked, monitored and analyzed. What are the implications of this on our behavior and where does it lead our societies to?

Is there a possibility that we could already be living in a Cyber Panopticon? Thinking about Snowden’s leaks and Mark Zuckerberg putting an adhesive tape to cover his computer camera both suggest we are being watched; what should we conclude?

Are we really being monitored or is this just an illusion of being watched?

“So to arrange things that the surveillance is permanent in its effect, even if it is discontinuous in its action; that the perfection of powers should tend to render its actual exercise unnecessary; that this architectural apparatus should be a machine for creating and sustaining a power relation independent of the person who exercises it…

― Michel Foucault – ”Discipline & Punish”

“Morals reformed – health preserved – industry invigorated, instruction diffused – public burthens lightened – Economy seated, as it were, upon a rock – the gordian knot of the Poor-Laws are not cut, but untied – all by a simple idea in Architecture!”

― Jeremy Bentham – The Panopticon Writings

Mark Zuckerberg covers his laptop camera and microphone with tape ( Image: Facebook/Mark Zuckerberg)

What I have learned over the years is the following: ”When mainstream news is showing you something it has a purpose.”
The fact that this so-called news was shown on so many mainstream news means there is a purpose behind all this. Here are a few mainstream news that published this:

What are the purpose and consequences for the general population:

  • Normalize daily life spying in the name of your security
  • We are all spied, nothing to worry about
  • Nothing to see here; I do not care

I would like to give you my advice here. Not only the microphone and webcam are covered but the Instagram frame looks like a prison cell as Mark is holding it like he is behind bars, smiling. Purposely or not, this picture is somehow very ironic when talking about the “Cyber-panopticon”.

“Ultimately, arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.”

― Edward Snowden

AI + Data = DATAISM ; The road to hell is paved with good intentions

Most AI is free or close to, it’s almost common knowledge that the internet is monitored and its homological definition, a giant WEB or NET; it is the dream tool for any spy agency. As Andrew Lewis said, “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product!”

Well, are we really products? As mentioned in a previous article, it seems that this new industrial revolution puts humans as a node in the system. As such, humans became part of the computing equation.

Let’s talk about storage, could it be possible to store an entire human life on a drive? The answer is yes, as I am writing these words, it’s possible to store all the books ever written in every language onto one single drive the size of my hand.

But why store all data?

To make the world predictable; for our own good! Internet Of All Things and soon Internet Of Brain will produce an immeasurable amount of data that will drag us into this new cult called “Dataism”.

Dataism declares that the universe consists of data flows, and the value of any phenomenon or entity is determined by its contribution to data processing.

― Yuval Noah Harari

Data and AI combined could plunge us into the worst Orwellian nightmare we could ever think of.

Well, for our masters, imagine the joy it would bring them to be able to predict everything, and make sure nobody will ever hoard their worldly properties. Dataism, in the end, makes any living thing a set of attributes that AI will be able to process; Societies, people, families, animals can be predictable.

“Under observation, we act less free, which means we effectively are less free.”

― Edward Snowden

As revealed by the Snowden leaks published on Wikileaks, it looks like most of our devices are compromised as well as our smart TVs. I cannot say if this information was purposely given to public although my gut feeling […]

Saying that would imply that we are already living in a hidden prison, at least an unseen one you cannot touch and even realize it exists; This reminds us of the “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato, where prisoners believe what they see is the reality when it is actually an illusion or a reflection of reality. Enchained in the cave for too long, their perception of reality has become biased.

Also, it’s been revealed in the next following articles that our Wifi routers can act as a radar in our own home.

Cyber Panopticon: A Transhumanist Agenda.

There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment … you had to live … in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized”.

― George Orwell

Currently many trans-humanist programs are led worldwide for people to operate their whole life from their own prison apartment through the usage of avatar and robots, either in real life or in a cyber space construction. The one that seems to be the most advanced and well marketed is the Japanese Government Moonshot program that I will develop in a more detailed article.

Other than this, you have some companies like Avatarin that work with the Japanese government which seems to be on the front line to fulfill their goals.

For sure, I tend to think it’s being done in good will; there are indeed many good aspects to it; I must admit there is room for debate. Traveling anywhere through your mind and being able to live and experience something through an avatar sounds like a lot of fun. But on the other side of the coin, in reality, you will be in your own apartment disconnected from real human interactions, under the guise to be more connected to other humans and more free.

The True Panopticon Jail

Back to the original concept of Panopticon, the first Cyber Panopticon prison was opened in The Netherlands.

Here is how they briefly defined this jail at the end of the article:

1· Electronic wristbands to track prisoners’ movements around the clock
2· Emotion recognition software to analyze sounds relayed from cells
3· Touch-screen monitors at prisoners’ beds with channels for activity choices
4· Six-bed dormitory cells
5· Camera surveillance in public spaces, not on bunk beds or in bathrooms
6· Credit system to earn perks

Let’s express the above in today’s terms:

1- IoT, Wifi, 5G, CCTV (internet of things + AI )
2- AI, IoB ( internet of brains )
3- Netflix
4- Concentration Camps
5- CCTV
6- CBDCs ( Central Bank Digitals Currencies )

On top of this, add Smart Cities and Lockdowns. Where do you think we could be heading to?

What if everyone had access to all your information and your profile at anytime? I’ve had a hard time understanding how some engineers can make mistakes as the following one. Did you know that many CCTVs sold to the public have loopholes that let you access home & office cameras? This information is for educational purposes, but if you try to type the following command on Google, you will be able to access some of these cameras. Plus, you are sometimes able to control them.

MultiCameraFrame?Mode=Motion

AI + CCTV

Monitoring CCTV is boring and expensive, let’s face it, do those cameras really record interesting data? For most of them, none, of course. The cost of monitoring a camera is extremely expensive but what if you utilize AI?

Think about the first Panopticon prison we talked about in Holland. They managed to reduce staff from 15 to 7. Imagine with AI, no one would need to monitor and the cost is getting very cheap and is expected to become even cheaper. Also, what kind of new DATA will we be able to gather about people?

AI agents will become so affordable that every movement of yours will be under scrutiny. So how will this affect your behavior?

Imagine that all these technologies are here already or currently being implemented.

While walking down the street, you would be permanently watched, recognized, analyzed, and you would ultimately fear the computer. And as a result, you would behave like you had a real human watching you! Ultimately, the system could act as a digital checkpoint in the future. If you think hiding your face will be enough, beware AI is already analyzing all different patterns including your body movements.

During an interview conducted by Darius Rochebin with Klaus Schwab, when asked if we should be concerned about new technology because of the possibility to implement a controlled state, here is Schwab’s reply:

What is clear is that we must accept transparency, I would even say total transparency. Everything will be transparent and we have to get used to it, we have to behave accordingly. What will be important is that there are no abuses, meaning the legal system must be in place to protect me against abuses when I do something that is correct and transparent.

He then added when asked if he was thinking about his phone being tapped by secret services while calling:

Yes, naturally, it becomes integrated into your personality, but if you have nothing to hide, you should not be afraid.

As I was closing this article, I stumbled upon this headline:

Former US NSA Chief Paul Nakasone Now on OpenAI’s Safety Committee

… I may be paranoid! It shall be for our own good!

Lord of the Powers be with us, for in times of distress we have no other help but You.
Lord of the Powers, have mercy on us.